Made at home from fresh produce, these jams, concentrates and preservatives are not the typical sweets sold in the market as fruit preserves. These fruity dishes capture the warmth and sweetness of the sun and rain in a glass jar.
Made without preservatives, artificial colors or flavors, these homemade recipes celebrate the fruit in myriad forms. And in Kerala there is some fruit or the other in every season. Apart from native fruits like banana and jackfruit, many new fruits like dragon fruit, mangosteen and rambutan have also found takers here. Many fruits are preserved in the form of jams, murabbas, pickles, fruit concentrates, etc.
Concerns about artificial additives have inspired many consumers to buy local, from enterprising home cooks who have turned their passion for cooking into micro-enterprises.
Here are four home chefs who have steady customers for their home brands.
fruit to drink
Homemade Fruit Concentrate made by Preeti Abraham | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Enjoy the freshness with Preeti Abraham’s Orange-Lemon or Ginger-Lemon, two of her best-selling products. Preeti’s home-cooked meals always won her praise from her children’s friends, which she attributed to the dishes packed for their school lunches. When Preeti’s daughter became pregnant, she started making fruit concentrates that did not use artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. Friends and family loved the Orange Lime and Ginger Lime Squash she made. Inspired by his mother and aunts and people requesting him for preservative-free fruit concentrates, he decided to start selling them on a small scale. That was four years ago.
“My brand Homemade Treats blends my passion for cooking and my commitment to healthy eating. What started in my mother and aunt’s kitchen now has a loyal customer base,” says Preeti.
Orange lime, ginger lime, passion fruit juice and grapes are in great demand. She makes all the juices at home with the help of her domestic help. Since last year, Preeti has added Sugar-Free Amla with Kanthari (Bird’s Eye Chilli) and Sugar-Free Ginger-Lemon with Kanthari to its product menu. “A lot of people who are trying to control their sugar levels wanted me to create something they could do without feeling guilty. That’s how I created this healthy drink that can be mixed with water or soda. Or use it to make smoothies or cocktails!”
Preeti has a wide range of ready-to-fry vegetarian and non-vegetarian mini meals like samosas, chicken pockets, cutlets, parathas, rolls etc.
Their fruit concentrates are available at select stores in Thiruvananthapuram. Their fruit concentrates are couriered all over Kerala and outside the state. Fruit concentrates and ready-to-cook meals should be kept refrigerated.
Contact: 9495921525/9074749720
jack tree house
Chakka chips from Marothottam at Molly Thomas in Thiruvananthapuram. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The two jackfruit trees planted in her new home came as a blessing to former banker Molly Thomas. “Both the trees are of the Chembarathi Varika variety (a major variety of jackfruit) and are rich in fruits in season,” says Mauli.
Although he took full advantage of the fruits, many of them were wasted. That’s when he decided to process it and make it available to jackfruit-hungry fans. She trained four women to make vattal (fries), unniyappam, ada, varatiyathu, puffs, cutlets, puzhukka and more, all chakkas, cooked and raw. Its crisp and flaky Chakka Puff is a blend of taste and simplicity.
Chakka Puff from Marothottam of Molly Thomas in Thiruvananthapuram. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Branding her products with the name Marathottam, Mauli started an Instagram page for her products and announced the menu for the day on the page. Golden Chakka Upari, Soft Unniappam and Gooey Chakka Varatti are sold out as soon as they are announced on their page.
“The season for raw fruits is over. But we still have Chakka Varatti which is in great demand, especially by those going abroad. I’m giving it some outlets in the city,” says Mauli.
Chakka Appam from Marothottam of Mauli Thomas in Thiruvananthapuram. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
To keep her business running during the off season, Mauli has diversified into ethnic snacks like Aval Vilayichathu, Kuzhalappam, Cheeda etc.
“At the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, I was trained in making value-added products from jackfruit. I found them resourceful and now the snacks we make are also doing well.”
Contact: 9446356252
Flavored Fizzy Tea
Shobhana Vijayan and Vijayan with Sri Vaishakh Garden’s dragonfruit kombucha and passion fruit concentrate. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Vaisakh Garden in Thannichal, 40 km from Thiruvananthapuram, is an Eden Garden filled with fruits like dragonfruit, mangosteen, rambutan, abiyu etc. From one acre in 2013, they now cultivate 25 acres. It was a dream come true for former naval engineer J Vijayan and his wife Shobhana. His three daughters, Jinu Vijayan, Anu Vijayan and Alka Vijayan, help him in marketing the fruits and looking after the farm.
Vijayan was introduced to dragon fruit during a trip to Malaysia. Since Kerala has a tropical climate, they knew that the fruit would grow well here.
Anu, a corporate employee, quits her job to focus on the farm. She runs a farm outlet in Kurvankonam. Anu says, “In 2018, when we started getting good dragonfruit yields, we wanted to bring a product that was new. Value added products like jams, concentrates, jellies etc. already existed. Furthermore, when dragon fruit is cooked at temperatures above 60 degrees it loses its color.
Kombucha Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Then Anu came across kombucha infused with fruits and herbs. When they tried making kombucha with dragonfruit, they got a dark, fuchsia-colored drink that also tasted good.
“The market really took off after 2021 and we now have preservative-free kombucha with dragon fruit, blue pea flower with ashwagandha and abiyu. Except for dragon fruit, the other two are seasonal.”
Recently, dried dragonfruit slices without sugar or additives have been added to their range.
Dragonfruit Kombucha and Passion Fruit Concentrate from Anu Vijayan’s Sri Vaishakh Udyan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“In addition, there is passion fruit concentrate made from pulp from our farm, sweet potato flour made from orange variety sweet potatoes, dried blue pea flowers and honey harvested from red-fleshed dragonfruit and rambutan flowers.”
Anu says that they will soon make their range available in select markets and malls.
The products are priced between ₹110 to ₹650
Contact: 8848610442
natural flavored
Homemade Papaya Jam by Elizabeth Jahn Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Elisabeth Jahn’s marmalade is bathed in a golden sheen that glistens on the orange slices and rind of the gooey substance. Her purple plum jam has a hint of ginger that teases the palate.
“It is nothing special. I make all kinds of spreads and preserves from the fruits that are in season,” says Elizabeth, who spent her childhood in Gwalior.
Orange Marmalade Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“I remember when I was a child, mother used to make the best fruits in season, like guava jam, papaya jam, apple-raisin chutney. I also do the same. Whatever fruit was in the market was turned into jams and preserves for later use. My jams are seasonal.”
After her marriage, she lived in the township of Neyveli Lignite Corporation for 34 years, until her husband retired and settled in Thiruvananthapuram. “We have papaya in our garden and to utilize the extra fruit, I started making jam. I used to give gifts to my friends and relatives.” It was the taste of his jam that attracted his customers who wanted more.
Marmalade made from Karonda (Carissa caronda). , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
So he started selling them on a small scale under the Flavors brand. For Elizabeth, processing and cooking fruit brings back memories of her childhood and her days as a young mother.
“Whenever I make tomato jam, I think of my boys who used to eat it with almost everything. These are memories. So, when I make jam, it reminds me of those days. Although my sons live far away, these memories make me happy.
Apricot in cognac. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
She emphasizes that she does not use any kind of exotic fruits. But it depends on what is local and available. When she visited her son in Dehradun, she made apricot jam and chutney with plums, fruits which were in abundance at that time.
“I also make good North Indian pickles like murabba. Recently, I saw a post on social media where a gentleman wanted to know if anyone wanted Caronoda Berry. It is not used much in Kerala. I remember my mother used to make pickles from it. So I got it from him and made pickles. ,
Elizabeth is also a good baker. He honed his skills by attending workshops at various places. “My cooking and baking is linked to memories, memories of my mother, grandmother and my godmother. My godmother used to make sweet and sour pickle of asparagus. I have planted a plant in my garden. When I make pickles, that’s another memory I plan to revive.”
Elizabeth’s products are sold through word of mouth. The cost ranges from ₹90 to ₹200 depending on the season and fruit used. She adds that since no chemical additives are used, all spreads should be kept in the refrigerator.
Contact: 90748681 24
published – October 16, 2024 01:42 PM IST
